Apple Sells Record 9 Million

           Apple Inc. (AAPL) sold a record 9 million iPhones in the weekend debut of two new models, as the company included China in the rollout and consumers snapped up handsets with more colorful options and a fingerprint reader.

           Apple’s shares rose 5 percent, the biggest jump since July, as sales exceeded even the loftiest analysts’ projections of less than 8 million. Apple’s most important product, the iPhone accounts for half of revenue. The company has seen sales and profit growth slow and has ceded some of the $280 billion smartphone market to Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) and other rivals.

          The phones were also available for the first time on NTT DoCoMo Inc. (9437), Japan’s largest wireless network. Apple didn’t break out iPhone sales by model or region.

           The iPhone 5s proved most popular with the initial rush of customers. In a Piper Jaffray survey of 416 people waiting in line, 95 percent were going to buy that model, which has an improved camera, fingerprint reader and faster processor. It comes in three color variations -- black/gray, white/silver and white/gold -- and costs $199 to $399 in the U.S. with a two-year wireless contract. On EBay Inc. (EBAY)’s website, gold models were selling for well over $1,000